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Dean Spanos has been struggling for several weeks with what to do with the head coach and general manager he wants so badly to succeed even as he wonders whether they can.

There was a point, in the latter stages of the team’s six-game losing streak and even beyond the most recent loss, where the Chargers president was described by more than one person close to him as “distraught” and more recently by one source recalling it as simply “very disappointed.” Among those in and around the organization, the idea a few weeks ago that the Chargers would be able to pull out of their slide in this spectacular fashion and perhaps salvage the jobs of their two top football men wasn’t even seriously considered.

As the winning ways have returned, though, it appears Spanos may be struggling less. That does not mean he has flip-flopped, but it could mean he is inclined to give his current structure another go.

In Spanos’ judgment, the players have clearly not given up on head coach Norv Turner. And while general manager A.J. Smith’s architecture has proved faulty in some areas of late, the players he has assembled are also the kind that over the past eight seasons have shown the fortitude to go 31-6 in December and January regular-season games, including 3-0 this month heading into Saturday’s game at Detroit.

Sources said this week that Spanos was “very much” influenced by fans’ reaction to his team on Sunday — that a loud, supportive stadium was, in effect, an endorsement. There is a thought within the organization that it may be a minority of fans that have a toxic attitude toward Turner and Smith.

It was stressed by several sources, however, that decisions hinge on results in the final two weeks.

It most likely will take two victories (along with some help) for the Chargers to avoid a second straight season without a postseason. With the baseline thoughts in his mind being that Turner (at 48-30) has the highest winning percentage of any coach in Chargers history and that Smith’s nine seasons can aptly be characterized as the most successful stretch anywhere near that length in team history, Spanos has spent time evaluating everything from why the Chargers have suffered so many injuries in recent seasons to in-game management.

One source said recently that the Chargers remaining alive for the playoffs into the Jan. 1 season finale would “speak volumes” to Spanos about Turner’s ability to lead the Chargers.

While Saturday’s game appears paramount, it is believed that even if the Chargers do not make the playoffs, Spanos will take at least a few days after the Jan. 1 season finale to evaluate his football operations and make a final decision.

Whether to retain Smith is the first order of business, and that decision is almost certainly intertwined with whether Turner will remain as head coach.